Roughly a dozen arts, crafts, clothing and food vendors will once again be on site at the Richwood Winery for its 6th annual Summer Solstice Festival, which takes place this Saturday, June 23 from 2 to 8 p.m. (Vicki Gerdes / Tribune)2 / 3

Richwood Winery's Summer Solstice Festival always brings big crowds, who enjoy sampling its wines as well as shopping, listening to live music and more. (Vicki Gerdes / Tribune)3 / 3

Lakes area residents may have noticed recently that sundown is coming later and later in the evening each day; that's because the Summer Solstice — also known as Midsummer — is almost upon us.

The folks at Richwood Winery are once again preparing to celebrate the summer's "longest day of light" with their 6th Annual Summer Solstice Festival. This Saturday, June 23, from 2 to 8 p.m., the grounds will be filled with live music, games, food, shopping — and of course, an abundance of opportunities to sample the winery's finest vintages.

The music will also be plentiful, with not just one, but two acts scheduled to perform: Jim Burt of Backus, Minn., will start things off at 2:30 p.m., with Mahnomen's own Eric Reitan to follow at 5 p.m. Sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of your favorite beverage while you listen, or get up and dance around the vineyard — you can even take one of the winery's available hula hoops out for a spin!

Admission is just $5 (or free for those under age 21), and includes a commemorative wine glass.

"We won't be selling tickets in advance, only on the day of the festival, at the gate," says winery coordinator Deb Krogsgaard.

Tickets for using your commemorative glass to sample the fruits of Richwood's vines — or if you prefer, a cold beer or fresh sangria — are sold separately, she added, at just $6 each.

"We will also have 11 local craft vendors set up outside, and our gift shop inside," she added, noting that guests will be able to view original glass art created by Chad Leitheiser Studios as well as offerings from Mary Turner, FSR Soap Company, Becky's Minnesota Spice, Rockhill Designs Jewelry & Accessories, LulaRoe, The Cocoa Exchange, Touch Stone Crystal, Sassy Pants Décor, Northwoods Food Factory, and even Tupperware!

Inside the gift shop, there will also be a selection of handmade jewelry, handpainted wine glasses, new Richwood Winery tank tops and t-shirts, and more unique items, as well as bottles of your favorite Richwood vintage to take home.

And to tempt your taste buds, the PICO food truck will once again be on site throughout the festival.

Staff writer at Detroit Lakes Newspapers for the past 17 years, currently editor of the entertainment and community pages as well as covering city council and the Lake Park-Audubon School Board. Living in DL with my cat, Smokey.